A story of Love
by SarahC20
Summary: Harry is a single father trying to give his daughter the world. Ginny is an aunt whose sister and brother in law died in a tragic accident…can two people who never have time for themselves find love together? AN: So this is a complete AU fic. Lilly/James alive. M for later chapters. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
1. Chapter 1

AN: So this is a complete AU fic. Lilly and James are alive and there was no Voldemort (did I spell that right?) Anyway I don't own anything Harry Potter the story idea is mine and that's it.

Summary: Harry is a single father trying to give his daughter the world. Ginny is an aunt whose sister and brother in law died in a tragic accident…can two people who never have time for themselves find love together?

Chapter 1.

Ginny groaned and rolled over. It was far too early…maybe if she laid really still the little girl Ginny loved so much would just snuggle next to her and they could both sleep for another few hours. Zoe had other plans.

"Aunt Ginny!" Zoe called impatiently climbing on top of her.

"Aunt Ginny is sleeping sweetheart. Just like you should be now come here." Ginny grabbed the four year old and tucked her securely into her chest. "Go to sleep love." She said as she began stroking Zoe's hair. Thankfully Zoe fell back to sleep. Ginny however…was now up. She dared to open one eye at the clock next to her bed. The sight almost mocked her. 5:02AM.

"Kid, I swear you're lucky you're cute." Ginny whispered as she carefully climbed out of bed so she didn't wake Zoe.

She walked into the living room of her four bedroom home. When she first built it she thought it might be too big for just the two of them but decided it would be nice to be able to have a couple spare bedrooms for when Zoe went to school and had friends over during the holidays. She also used them for her friends who would stay the night on occasion to spend time with the little family. Emily and Hermione would often offer to babysit so Ginny could go on a date but Ginny normally refused. Zoe needed her. Ginny would put Zoe first…her own needs and desires could wait for now. She flipped on the television and walked into the kitchen to start some coffee. She looked into the fridge and pulled out some butter and jam which she put on top of a toasted bagel. After she poured her coffee she went back to the living room to watch a show she'd missed last night. Half a bagel later she dozed off on the couch.

HPGWHPGWHPGWHPGWHPGWHPGW

Across town a very flustered Harry Potter was having a difficult morning. He and Lilly had both woken up late and he was rushing around the kitchen getting her cereal ready. Normally he liked to cook her a more nutritional breakfast but today they were in a hurry.  
"Lilly!" He called up the stairs. "Hurry down love, we've got to get going."

"The little girl with her father's piercing green eyes bounced down the stairs in her pink princess dress.

"Ok, daddy I'm here." She said skipping to the table and digging into her cookie crisp.

"Love," Harry chuckled. "What are you wearing?"

"Daddy you said I could pick out my clothes today. I wanna be a princess!" She smiled brightly at him.

Harry laughed to himself. "All right, but just this once." He added sternly.

"Ok daddy!" Lilly grinned at him and it was times like this (and a hundred others during the day) that Harry felt the familiar pang of anger and resentment at Jackie. Who could leave such a sweet girl behind? She'd begun asking questions about where _her _mother was lately. Harry had managed to change the subject and divert his daughter's attention. What was he supposed to tell her? 'Sorry baby, but mommy was a selfish bitch who bailed a few months after you were born?' He had no idea.

"Harry?" He heard a familiar voice call.

"In here mom!" He answered. The redheaded woman came in through the kitchen. He'd called her earlier asking if she could take Lilly to day care today. He was already a half hour late to work. Lilly Potter sr. was the pillar of grace, kindness and love. It was part of the reason he didn't understand what Jackie did. His parents had been so dedicated to him. He felt the same love, protectiveness and loyalty to his little Lilly. How could Jackie not feel the same way?

"Hello, dear." She kissed his cheek lightly then turned to Lilly. Is that my little Lilly pad? I swear you grow a foot every time I blink!" Lilly giggled at her grandmother.  
"I'm taking you to day care today love, is that ok with you?" Lilly nodded her head excitedly.

"Alright sweet. I'm heading to work. Will you be a good girl today?" He asked crouching next to his daughter.

"Yes, Daddy." She smiled as he kissed her goodbye.

"Bye then sweet. I love you."

"Bye-bye daddy, I love you too!"

A few moment later Harry reached the apparition point of the academy of aurrors. Before Lilly had been borne Harry had been one of the top aurrors. He'd graduated school early with the help of his mother and finished the academy when he was just 18. By 22 he'd been on the fast track to become the youngest head aurror in the history of the department. But then Lilly had been borne, a minute later Jackie left and Harry took a job teaching at the academy. Steady hours and he only worked four days a week. Having an extra whole extra day with Lilly was too good to pass up. He'd been there four years now and he loved it. He felt he was still contributing to the safety of the public, which had been a long standing passion of his but he also could be the dedicated father that Lilly deserved. He walked into class and began apologizing for the tardiness.

HPGWHPGWHPGWHPGWHPGWHPGW

Ginny held Zoe's hand as they walked into the building. It was covered with handprints, drawings and other works of art that children had made. Little Miracles Magical Academy was a very well-reviewed day care. Ginny, had met nearly all the teachers when she'd toured the place a few weeks earlier but it didn't ease her nerves. She hated leaving Zoe. It always created a tug of dread in the pit of her stomach. She worried about if Zoe would make friends, if the teachers would be nice, if…well a thousand things. But she smiled at the four year old and walked in anyway.

"Ginny, Zoe!" The teacher Miss. Ellie greeted them. "How lovely to see you again! Zoe are you ready to have a super fun day?"

Zoe grinned and nodded excitedly. Ginny wished she had her confidence. Up until last week Zoe had stayed at Mrs Michaels home four days a week. The old woman was kind and wonderful she took care of her two grandchildren and was more than happy to make some extra money by adding another but her daughter and grandchildren were moving to Arizona next week and she was going along. Ginny understood. It would be wonderful if Zoe had a grandparent to take care of her during the days Ginny worked. But it would also be wonderful if people didn't drive drunk so Zoe could have a mother and father like other children.

"Why don't you follow Miss Leah into the main room while your aunt and I talk? It's story time. Today's story theme is princesses. Do you like princesses?"

"Oh Yes! I love princesses!" Zoe exclaimed. She followed the other teacher into the room.

"How are you doing today?" Ellie asked after Zoe went into the other room.

"I'm great!" Ginny lied. "I mean she's so excited to meet all the new children and you get such great reviews."

"You know it's normal to be nervous. Right?"

Ginny deflated. "And here I was thinking I was doing such a great job of hiding it."

"Every parent has a harder time seeing them off than the child." Ellie smiled. "I expect it's a great deal more difficult for you. But we have your number, we take photos of them during the day and send them to you, and if anything happens we will be sure to give you a call. Even if she doesn't want to eat her peas!" Ellie's kind eyes and warm smile made Ginny feel better.

"Thank you, and I promise once were into a routine here I won't be such a bother with all my hovering."

"It's no bother at all! And everyone wants to know how their child is settling in with new people."

They chatted for another few minutes and then Ginny went and said her goodbyes to Zoe.

"Bye baby girl. I love you so much. If you need me at all today just tell your teacher and she will call me and I'll be here faster than you can say quidditch."

"Ok, I love you too. Bye." Zoe ran off to listen to the rest of stories.  
"Sounds about right." Ginny chuckled to herself. After a few more minutes of spying on Zoe Ginny finally left to go to work.

After story time a little girl with bright green and jet black hair came up to Zoe and said. "Hi, my name is Lilly. What's yours?"

"I'm Zoe. Do you like to play dragons?"  
"Yes I do!" And with that the two became fast friends.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: To anyone who's read my previous stories I'm going to TRY TRY TRY to be better about updating in a timely fashion!

Hope you enjoy. R&R

Chapter two.

Ginny walked into her office building feeling not feeling any more at ease with leaving Zoe. She'd already stopped herself from calling the day care four times and that was just on the walk to her office. Ginny greeted some people in the hallway and continued on to her office. After Hogwarts she'd gone into training to be an unspeakable which was like the magical version of MI6 or the CIA of the US. It had been a brilliant time for her. Training lasted only a year and then she was off on missions, gathering information on death eaters a group of pure blooded wizards who thought muggle's and muggle bones were inferior. For a brief time Tom Riddle who used the alias Voldemort was creating a bit of a stir. He was by far the most powerful of the death eaters. He'd begun to start the process of making horsecrouts (no idea if that's spelled correctly) he'd made three. Ginny had found them all and destroyed them and after a team of aurrors lead by someone who's name Ginny couldn't remember had assassinated him. Ginny wished she could have been a part of that mission but it was extremely rare for the two groups to work together. There was no hostility but it was safer for the unspeakable's not to compromise their covers.

After the accident Ginny had quit. When Luna and Neville had asked her to be Zoe's godmother and to take care of the child should anything ever happen to them they all agreed that that would be the best course of action. At the time Luna had been extremely grateful that her sister was willing to do that. Ginny often wondered if Luna had known something back then. It hadn't been any sacrifice. Neville's grandmother while she was a wonderful woman was getting up there in age and could barely handle Zoe for an afternoon let alone 18 years. Ginny loved Zoe more than anything so she'd been happy to give up the job she adored in favour of the niece who owned her heart. She'd taken a position at the MDD (Magical Development Department) developing new spells, curses, and enchantments designed to help aurrors and unspeakable's defences. Currently, she was working on a spell that would allow an operative to become invisible for an set amount of time, right now she could get it for a half hour but she didn't want to release it until it could last at least three hours. Invisibility cloaks do exist but they are extremely rare with only two in existence and this spell would be more practical for operative use. Ginny loved her job and she had Friday's off which was great because it gave her more time to spend with Zoe.

Gwen, Ginny's assistant popped into her office with a latte and a smile. "How was it?" She asked handing Ginny the drink.

"As expected she was great; I was a wreck." Ginny sighed. "I just wish there was some way I could take her here with me."

"Well knowing Zoe she'd get her hands on one of the new potions and shrink to the size of an aunt for a month." Gwen laughed.

"God that does sound like something she'd do. What am I in for when she's a teenager?"

"I'll pray for you." Gwen said.

"Alright, well enough sulking for now. Did you get the reports on last month's binding spell yet?"

"Yes, the aurrors have tested it in their classes and it hasn't had any negative side effects yet. The unspeakable's report the same."

"Good. Looks like the kinks were worked out. Tell them to use it with caution for another month and then they should be in the clear. Any questions can be directed to me directly."

"Sounds good."

"Great. I'll be in the lab for the most of the day. I need to figure out why I can't make this spell last more than a half hour."

Ginny spent the most of the day in the lab tweaking the spell. By the end of the day she' managed to make it last 45 minutes and felt she was making good progress. She took a break to have lunch with Hermione and Ron. She'd known them in school. They'd both been a year older than her and had been dating since third year. She was the maid of honour at their wedding last year. Zoe had been the flower girl and loved wearing the fluffy white dress that Ron's mother had picked out for her. She'd always liked Ron's family and she'd been fast friends with both Ron and Hermione. They often urged her to let them set her up but she always politely refused. Before the accident she'd been a fairly active dater. She'd had two serious boyfriends in Hogwarts and one after. But she enjoyed her job and freedom too much to settle down. She always thought that she'd start looking for the right man around the age she was now 25. But fate had other plans. She was content focusing on her beautiful niece.  
It was the start of December and Ginny had told Zoe they could pick out a Christmas tree after dinner tonight. She left work a bit early to get Zoe and make sure everything had gone well. Ellie had sent pictures as she promised she would with messages like "settling in nicely." And "Everything's great here!" but Ginny still worried.

Ginny walked into the building and chatted with Ellie for a moment. It seemed like Zoe had been well behaved and had made a few new friends. It seems she and another girl names Lilly Potter had been glued together since Ginny left. Ginny was relieved that Zoe was making friends.  
"AUNTIE!" Zoe boomed as she ran full force toward Ginny. The tall redhead scooped the little blond into her arms and hugged her close.

"My little love! Did you have a good day?"  
"Yes auntie, I met a lot of new friends. But Lilly is my best friend she is nice and fun and tells silly jokes so she is my best friend!"

"That's great darling! Now I believe I promised a Christmas tree after dinner so why don't we go eat and you can tell me all about today and then we can go pick out the perfect tree."

"Oh yes auntie! I would love that! Can we get Chinese?"  
"Naturally," Ginny replied and carried the little witch out of the day-care as she said goodbye to Ellie.

The two got into their car (Ginny didn't like flooing with Zoe because the soot tended to make the young girl sneeze and apparating could be harmful to children under the age of 12. On the way Zoe talked about her day and all her new friends with the main focus being on Lilly.

"Lilly says that her daddy takes her to ride hipogriphs. Can we do that too?"

"Sure love."

"Lilly knows so many funny jokes. Knock knock…" "Lilly can fit three grapes up her nose." "Lilly can spin for ten minutes before she falls down. The same as me! Can you believe it?"

"That's nice pet." Ginny replied gently. She was thrilled that Zoe had made such a good friend. She wanted to hug Lilly the next time she took Zoe in. Maybe they could plan a playdate…or a slumber party…

Dinner continued in the same fashion and Ginny was truly engaged in what Zoe was saying. The only time the constant chatter about her school, and all the cool toys, and the kids and most of all Lilly stop was when they finished dinner and Ginny told her they were going to get a tree now.

They pulled up to the muggle lot and Zoe bounced up and down in her seat with excitement. Ginny opened the door for her and Zoe dragged Ginny behind her running towards where all the trees were. They'd been looking around for about ten minutes with Zoe nixing tree's for being too gloomy or too tall or too green when out of nowhere they heard someone shout.

"ZOE!" Ginny and Zoe turned to see a little girl with black hair running towards them with two men and a woman running behind her laughing.

"LILLY!" Zoe took off towards the girl. _Ahh makes_ _sense_ thought Ginny as she shuffled after Zoe. When the two met in the middle of all the trees they threw their arms around each other like they'd been apart for years instead of hours. The sight made Ginny smile and remember how she and Luna greeted each other when they'd been young.

"Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, _this _is Zoe my new best friend!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Hello, Zoe it's very nice to meet you. My name is also Lilly I'm little Lilly's grandmother, this is James her grandfather and this is Harry our son and Lilly's daddy. Is this your mommy?" The older woman asked kindly.

Ginny cringed it was no one's fault but she felt badly for what was about to happen and how Lilly's grandmother was about to feel when Zoe said.

"No my mommy and daddy are dead. This is my Auntie Ginny she's my family." Ginny had seen the look that flashed across the faces of the Potters (minus Little Lilly who seemed oblivious) a thousand times. They all looked guilty but they had no reason too. Ginny would have asked the same question to Lilly but whenever someone found out that Zoe's parents were dead they felt like they should have known and not asked. It was sweet but unnecessary.

"Oh, I…I'm so sorry." The older Lilly looked between Ginny and Zoe.

"It's ok big Lilly, don't be sad. The ones that love us never really leave us. We keep them in our hearts" Zoe said. "Right auntie?"

Ginny smiled down at the little girl. "That's right pet." She said running her hands through her hair. A moment later the awkwardness was over.

"Can Lilly and I look at trees together, auntie?"

"I suppose if it's ok with the Potters it's ok with me."

"Of course, you girls go find the best two trees in the place." Harry said.

"Make that three, your gran and I need one as well, love." James added to Lilly.

The two girls bustled and down the rows of trees looking for the best ones. Lilly turned to Ginny.

"Really, I'm so very sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"It's quite alright really, it happens all the time. You had no way of knowing and it doesn't upset her to talk about them. Please don't feel badly."

"Well alright then." Lilly smiled slightly.

"I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Ginny, Ginny Lovegood." She said shaking each Potter's hand. She noted how much like his father Harry looked, same hair and build, but he had his mother's striking green eyes. The young Lilly looked like a carbon copy of Harry with his hair, nose, lips and eyes. She noted that he was quite attractive. He was muscular but not too much so, and tall which she loved. She herself was 5'8 and he had about three inches on her.

"It's nice to meet you. Lilly hasn't talked about anything other than Zoe since we picked her up today. I'm surprised she didn't try to smuggle your niece out in her backpack." Harry joked.

"Oh it's been quite the same here and may I say that I find it extremely impressive that Lilly can fit three whole grapes up her nose."

James smiled proudly "I taught her that!" Lilly and Harry both rolled her eyes.

"We're both so grateful dad." Harry said. They all laughed. They enjoyed their time talking and found a nice banter until the two girls came back with a salesman saying they found the trees for them. After they were all loaded into the car's Zoe asked if Lilly could come over for hot chocolate. Everyone agreed that it was too late tonight but they agreed on a playdate the next day since it was Friday and both Harry and Ginny had the day off of work.

AN: And that's chapter two. Hope you like it so far. I don't know how fast/slow I'm going to move the Harry/Ginny relationship but I wanted them to meet right away. Please Read and Review. I'm always up for constructive criticism so please if you don't like it tell me how you think it could be better. And if you have ideas please let me know. I'm always open to suggestion but might not always take you up on them. Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3

Harry was surprised to find that he was excited. He always enjoyed Lilly's play dates with other children but he rarely felt excited for them. Normally he'd end up with another mother or father who yammered on about school and which wizarding academy is good enough. Harry wasn't concerned he was quite set on Hogwarts for Lilly. He would have gone there but his parents were living abroad and he went to school in America. But Ginny, he felt like she would act like any other adult. She would let Zoe and Lilly enjoy their playtime because childhood is fleeting and should be enjoyed for as long as possible. No need to badger the girls about school, and what do you wanna be when you grow up questions. Maybe they could even talk about something other than the kids while the girls played. He couldn't remember the last time he talked to an attractive woman. Maybe he had and just hadn't noticed. But it was impeccably hard not to notice Ginny. She was tall, thin but not _skinny _she looked toned, like she'd been in training for a while, her red hair fell to her mid back and had a curves in all the right places. But it was her eyes that caught him. Something that he saw flash across those deep brown orbs. Intelligence.

Most woman who he met would automatically flirt and smile and within five minutes he could tell they were dumb as rocks. He didn't want to date if it wasn't serious because that might be bad for Lilly. But Ginny…No. He was being thoughtless. He could be friends with Ginny but that's it. Zoe and Lilly were becoming best friends fast. If he did start anything with Ginny and it went badly the girls would be hurt. Besides, she could be married, though he hadn't noticed a ring bur she could be seeing someone.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Lilly began asking questions about their day. Where were they going? For how long? Could Zoe spend the night? Ect.

"I don't know about that love we'll have to see but we are going to an indoor play gym that Ginny told me about. Zoe really likes it I'm sure you will too."

Harry took Lilly's hand and they drove to the address Ginny had given him. He'd taken to driving when he was younger his mother being muggle borne. He couldn't apparate with Lilly yet and he'd never liked floo. It was too unpredictable, you could say the wrong thing and end up somewhere dangerous.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHPHP

Ginny saw Harry and Lilly come in as Zoe was spinning around on the low hanging ropes the place had. It was a gymnastic thyme that could allow the kids to get out all their energy but had magical protections so if a child fell from too high they would float softly to the ground.

After the Potters had their coats and scarfs put away Lilly ran to where Zoe was playing and the two began spinning together.

"It was really nice of you to invite us today. Thank you." Harry said.

"No problem really, I'm surprised you didn't know about this place. It really is great you don't have to worry about them getting hurt because of the protection spells and they can get out all that pent up energy that comes with winter."

"Yeah, it's great thanks for telling me. I'm always looking for new things to do with her." He said smiling at her.

"I know how you feel. I hate not having something planed. I can't wait for it to start snowing so I can help her build snowmen and have snowball fights."

"We should get them together when it does. I love the snow."

"Oh me too! When we were young Zoe's mother and I would play in the snow for _hours _our father had to drag us inside. Normally, by that point we couldn't feel our fingers anymore!"

"That sounds nice. It must have been nice to have a sister to grow up with. You always have a playmate." He replied. He wanted to ask more about Zoe's mother. About how she died, how long it had been…but he felt like he didn't know Ginny well enough.

"Do you have any siblings? Maybe Lilly will have a cousin someday?" she asked. Normally she'd ask if he and his wife were planning to have any more children but she hadn't seen a ring and no one had mentioned Lilly's mother last night. She assumed they were divorced and didn't want to mention it.

She didn't want to admit how attractive she found Harry. Or how happy the thought that he might be since made her. It didn't matter. Lilly and Zoe were becoming great friends. Ginny was so busy with work and Zoe. The holidays were always so busy, they had a standing invitation at the Weasley household and she liked to bake lots of goddies to contribute. She didn't have time to date and even if she did she couldn't date Harry. She pushed the thought aside.

"No I was an only child. My parents never had another."

"Oh, well that must have been a bit lonely."

"Not at all, we lived in a neighbourhood with a lot of kids and there was always a friend around."

"That's nice. Where did you grow up?" We lived in the UK until I was eight and then moved to the US after that. I attended school there and then came back to go to the aurror academy. My parents came back about a year after me."

"You grew up in the states? You don't have an accent."

"It never took, and I've been back since I was 16."

"You finished school at 16? That's incredible!"

"Not really, I didn't get along with some of my teachers so my mother home schooled me. It didn't take long to finish."

"You moved away from your family when you were 16? That must have been difficult."

He smiled at her. He greatly enjoyed the sound of her voice, she seemed so genuinely interested in hearing about him. Most women spent the entire time babbling about themselves. He couldn't picture Ginny babbling. "I used to think so. Now I think it was harder on my parents. I can't imagine Lilly leaving that young. I can't imagine her leaving at all."

"Maybe that's why they came back. To be near you. But I think you don't have to worry about Lilly leaving anytime soon." Her smile was warm and reminded Harry of sunset.

"Are you still an aurror?" Ginny asked. It was quite abnormal for aurrors to have weekdays off. In fact they normally work all hours, never knowing when they will be called in.

"No after Lilly was born I took a job teaching at the academy." That made more sense.

"What about you Ginny what do you do?" Oh after school I took a job…consulting. I travelled around the world but after the accident I took a job at the MDD."

"Magical Development Department that's impressive. You've probably heard of this new binding spell. We've been using it in my class and it's been working quite well. After another month it will be clear to use if the field."

Ginny grinned at him. "Yes, that was actually one of mine."

"Really! It's brilliant, the binds do such a great job at keeping the perp contained without being able to use magic to break out of them!"

"Yes the spell actually calls on the magic of the one being bound. That way only an aurror can release them. You can't fight your own magic."

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed! The spent the rest of the time chatting idly about this or that. The girls played together wonderfully and it made them both happy to see how brightly the girls were smiling. They decided that they would have to set up many more playdates.

AN: So I know it doesn't seem like a lot is happening but I really can't decide how fast/slow I want this relationship to progress. In the next chapter they will have a conversation without the kids around though. R&R


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hey so I'm don't normally update every few hours I just had some time off work yesterday and today. Thanks for reviewing! Oh, and I know my spelling sucks I'm still looking for a proof reader. R&R

Chapter 4

"Daddy?" Lilly called through the house. No answer. She tried again "Daddy?" she continued up the stairs calling his name as tears pooled into her eyes. "Daddy!" she cried.

All of a sudden the lights switched on and Harry appeared in the hallway. His hair was a mess from sleep as he rushed to her.

"Lilly? Are you alright love?" He asked. He checked for scrapes or burses of any sort.

"I had a bad dream!" the little girl cried.

"Oh, pet I'm sorry. Come here now." He scooped her into his arms and carried her into his room. She snuggled securely against him as he whispered that everything would be ok. She soon felt safe again wrapped in the arms of her daddy and dozed off again, this time to much more pleasant dreams.

Harry wished he could find her a mother. Someone, who could love her as much as he did. A woman who wouldn't view her as an obstacle or competitor for his attention. About a year after Jackie left he'd began dating another woman. Romilda Vane. The complete wrong choice at first she seemed fine with the fact that he'd had a daughter. But then her true nature came to light. One night while out on a date his mother had called saying that Lilly was sick. He'd rushed right home to be with her. Romilda hadn't understood. From that point on she accused him of not being committed to their relationship and using her for sex.

He'd ended it a couple weeks after the incident. He'd never allowed her to meet Lilly though. He didn't want to confuse his daughter. After that he hadn't dated. He wasn't particularly upset about the relationship ending but he didn't want to have to deal with another woman like Romilda. Lately when thinking of dating all he could focus on was how Ginny would understand completely where he was coming from. She probably wanted the exact same thing in a partner that he did. Someone to love her and Zoe as much as they both deserved.

He could be that guy. And Ginny could love him and Lilly as much as they deserved in return.

He pushed the thought aside once again. He couldn't be with Ginny. People break up over a thousand different reasons. If he and Ginny were to get together and it didn't work out the girls would suffer.

Besides she'd never shown any romantic interest in him.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The night was still and calm. Zoe had been in bed for a few hours now and Ginny was enjoying a glass of wine when she heard a knock at the door.

She was surprised to see who it was. "Harry? What are you doing here? Is everything alright? Where is Lilly?"

"She's spending the night at her grandparents. Sorry to stop by so late, I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yes? What is it?"

All at once and without warning he was kissing her. She felt it deep within her. Creating a stirring, a yearning. Eagerly she pulled him against her and kissed back with as much passion and longing as she could.

His hands were everywhere, her hair, her back, her waste. She couldn't remember when she'd last been kissed like this.

He pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I've been wanting to do that for weeks now." He whispered. She nodded.

Ginny shot up in bed.

Immediately she felt extremely embarrassed. It had been _years _since she'd dreamed of a boy kissing her. She wasn't a flustered school girl. She was a grown woman for god's sake. She looked at her clock and it read 4:30am. She wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep today. She decided to take a bath.

Emerging herself in the water she began to feel better. She'd been so tense lately. If she was being honest she really did want something to happen between herself and Harry. But it just wasn't a good idea. He was the father of Zoe's best friend. They'd known each other for a while now. In all that time she'd never once seen Lilly's mother. Or heard about her for that matter. She thought briefly that maybe the woman died. But it didn't seem likely Lilly probably would've told Zoe if that was the case.

Ginny had stuck to her don't ask plan. If one of the Potter's ever brought it up then great but until then she would keep her questions to herself. She was glad today was Friday, if she was lucky Zoe would get tired and take a nap, then Ginny could sneak one in as well. She thought back to one of the conversations she and Harry had had over the past weeks. She'd been walking to the day care to pick up Zoe and they had run into each other.

"Ginny!"

She turned to see who was calling her and saw a rosy cheeked Harry Potter rushing towards her.  
"Hiya, Harry." She smiled at him.

"How've you been? I feel like I haven't seen you if forever."

"It hasn't been too long, it's just that Christmas is coming up and everything seems to be so busy now."

"Tell me about it! I never knew how much work went into Christmas until I had a child." He laughed.

"When I was a child I thought the same thing. Now I find myself stressing out about it every day until it arrives. But it's so worth it to see her face Christmas morning."

"I know what you mean." They still had a few blocks to walk and a moment of silence fell between them. He had no idea what possessed him to ask the next thing that came stumbling out of his mouth.

"Can I ask, why you're not seeing anyone?"

Ginny looked a little surprised by the question. Many people had asked her before but it normally was a Segway into Ginny being hit on. She didn't think that was happening here. Maybe he was just curious.

"It's not that I wouldn't like to, it's just that I have Zoe to think of. I'm not sure someone would be alright with her being my priority. Also, I wouldn't want to confuse her…it's so difficult to explain these things to children."

He'd heard these excuses a thousand times. He spouted off the same reasons a few times a day to co-workers, students, friends, and his parents.

"What about you?" She asked.

"Oh the same reasons really. I wouldn't want Lilly to get attached to someone and then have her disappear if it didn't work out."

"I think that's very smart." She said nodding.

AN: I know it's a short chapter but I just went back to work and I'm super beat. I'm trying really hard be better about updating. Hope you are enjoying so far! I've made a decision. Within the next three chapters Harry will ask Ginny out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Harry exhaled. The chaos unfolding around him reminded him of the battles he'd fought in during his time as an aurror. The mall was extremely crowded with various types of people, last minute shoppers, employees on breaks, and of course his group. Families with children waiting to see Santa. Normally, he took Lilly a few weeks earlier to avoid some of the frenzy. This year things had been so hectic and he hadn't had time until now. The week before Christmas. His parents were at his sides and Lilly was seated on his shoulders. They approached the end of the line when he heard someone call.

"Harry!" he turned to see Ginny in the middle of the line waving the Potters over to her and Zoe. As they approached he heard her say to the people behind her that she'd been saving them a place and she hoped they wouldn't mind. Luckily the people were in the Christmas spirit and weren't upset. Harry felt grateful that they wouldn't have to wait as long as he'd thought. It would probably be another hour still but that was better than nothing.

"Thanks for that." He said stepping in line. Lilly was squirming to get off his shoulders so he put her down and she and Zoe began to play some hand clap game.

"Of course it's nice that Zoe has someone to help distract her now."

"Ginny, it's been a while. How are you?" Lilly (adult) inquired.

"Very well thank you. We've been waiting forever. I'll never let myself wait this long to take Zoe to see Santa again!" She chuckled.

"It's like a madhouse!" James agreed.

They settled into a pleasant round of chatter while Lilly and Zoe played and giggled together. Harry liked how close the two were becoming. It was nice that Lilly had someone who she could share all her secrets with. He also really liked Zoe, she was a bright and kind young girl and he thought that for someone who'd lost her parents so young she was quite well adjusted. He suspected that had everything to do with Ginny.

"So, Ginny Harry tells us you work for the MDD," Lilly said.

"Yes, I started there just after Zoe came to live with me. It's been almost three years now."

"And you focus in new spell development? That's quite interesting, may I ask what you're working on now?"

"Of course, I'm working on a spell that can turn someone invisible for a set amount of time. I've gotten it up to an hour but I don't feel comfortable releasing it until I can get it set for a minimum of three hours and I also want to enable a counter that the aurror can cast to end the invisibility earlier than that if needed."

"Fascinating!" Lilly exclaimed. "It would solve the problem of the invisibility cloaks, they are so rare…" she eyed her son and husband and a secret look passed between the three. Ginny noticed it but chose not to say anything.

"A friend of mine used to work for the MDD, Remus Lupin did you know him?" James asked.

"Yes, Lupin actually trained me when I first began. We were sorry to see him go. How has he been?"

"Very well, he and Tonks are moving back from Scotland soon and Teddy is doing well also, he'll be six in January."

"Wonderful!" Ginny smiled.

They continued to chat as the line moved slowly but surely. Lilly and Zoe asked to go to the bathroom and Lilly volunteered to take the two while the others waited in line. After they left the Potter men and Ginny fell back into an easy banter and Harry had to remind himself several times that Ginny was off limits to him. His was reconsidering his choice when they heard someone call for Ginny. She turned to see a woman with brown curly hair and a tall man with red hair approaching. Ginny smiled and waved.

"Hermione, Ron what brings you here?"

"Just finishing up our Christmas shopping." The woman replied.

"Well good luck it's a madhouse here. This is Harry and James Potter. Harry's daughter has become a very good friend of Zoe's."

"Very nice to meet you." Hermione said as she and Ron shook their hands.

"Speaking of Zoe where is the little hellion?" Ron asked.

"Harry's mother took the girls to the bathroom a few minutes ago they should be back any minute. Just as Ginny said that they heard a booming voice yell "UNCLE RON AUNTIE HERMIONE!"

A heap of limbs and blond hair flew into the arms of the youngest Weasley. He twirled her around once before putting her down for Hermione to dote on.

"Did you guys come to see Santa too?" She asked.

"No, dear we came to do a little shopping." Hermione replied smiling. They chatted for a few minutes before Ron and Hermione had to make their departure.

"The two of you are coming to the burrow for Christmas right?" Hermione aske.

"Of course, we wouldn't miss it. Right Z?"

"Nope, Molly makes the best cakes!" the little girl grinned.

After they left Lilly turned to Ginny. "I was wondering if it would be alright for Zoe to have a sleepover at our house after the holiday. We were planning on having Lilly over anyway and she got the idea on the way to the bathroom. They've been quite excited about it."

"Well, I suppose that's alright. You're sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"Not at all!" James insisted. "We have a dog named Leo, do you like dogs Zoe?"

"Yes I love dogs!" Zoe replied.

"It's settled then. We'll see you the 28th." Lilly smiled. By that time they were next in line and both girls got their pictures with Santa and they said their goodbyes.

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Harry, James and Lilly sat in the living room finishing off some of the brownies the family had made the other day. Lilly had fallen asleep on the way home from the mall and didn't stir when they had put her into bed. The day had been long and fun and exciting which resulted in the girls exhaustion.

"So Harry," James started "what's going on with you and Ginny?"

Harry looked at his father, surprised. "Nothing, we're becoming friends since the girls are so close."

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Lilly asked.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Whenever you are around her she holds your gaze. You can't keep your eyes off of her." James laughed.

Harry shook his head. "Look, Ginny is beautiful and smart and funny and kind. It would be a lie for me to tell you that I'm not interested. But you have to understand Zoe and Lilly have become great friends. If we were to get together and it didn't work out then they both would suffer."

"I don't think that's true at all." Lilly said. "You both are completely devoted to your girls. If anything went wrong between the two of you I think it might be a bit awkward for a while but you'd figure it out. And you would never make the girls stop seeing each other. And what if nothing goes wrong?"

Harry stared at his parents. What they were saying made a lot of sense but he wasn't sure if Ginny was even interested. When he voiced that opinion both of the older Potters laughed.

"Son, no wonder you need glasses. You're blind as a bat. She looks at you the way you look at her. You just haven't noticed."

After another hour with his parent's words running through his mind Harry said goodnight and went to bed. It was no surprise when his dreams were filled with Ginny.

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Christmas day had come and gone. It had been wonderful Ginny and Zoe had opened the presents from 'Santa' and had waffles. That evening they went to the burrow and opened the rest of them. The day had ended and Zoe was fast asleep. Ginny too, was exhausted she had almost finished cleaning the kitchen when her phone rang.

"Hello?" She said without checking the caller ID.

"Ginny, hi. How was your Christmas?" She smiled as she heard his voice.  
"It was very good Harry. How was yours?"  
"Great Lilly went to bed covered in ribbon and clutching her new doll."

"It was the same story here." She moved to the couch to sit down and tried to ignore the way her heartbeat quickened.

"It was a fun day but I'm glad it's over. Now maybe I can relax a bit."

"That sounds heavenly." Ginny said.

"Gin, the reason I called is because, well I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me? My parents will have both girls on Friday and I was thinking we could go to dinner."

Ginny paused for a long moment. She really did want to go out with Harry but all the reasons not too kept playing in her head again and again.

"Gin, are you there?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Harry I am. And honestly I really do want to go out with you. I'm just not sure it's a good idea."

"I thought the same thing but I've reconsidered. Look, I'll make you a deal go out with me and we can talk through all the reasons it's a terrible, horrible idea and if we decide it's not worth it we won't go out again. No hard feelings."

Ginny smiled and chuckled to herself. She had a feeling that once they were out they would decide to throw all the reasons not to date out the door.

"Alright then, I'd love to."

AN: Thanks to all who are reviewing. I know I make a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes but I've always been like that. I'm still looking for a proof reader if anyone wants the job. Hope you're enjoying.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ginny was nervous. She'd never once been nervous for a date not even her first one. She'd always been confidante and sure about her own self. She never felt unsure about what to say, when to laugh or what to do on a date. This was different, she was seeing Harry tonight and in an hour Lilly and James were coming to collect Zoe; Ginny had offered to drop her off but they said that they were taking the girls out for dinner and that it was no trouble to pick her up. Ginny paced in her room. Zoe followed her with her eyes from the bed. 

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm trying to decide what to wear tonight, love."

"You should wear a princess dress!"

"Maybe next time." Ginny said as she scooped the girl into her arms and held her close. "I'm gonna miss you, pet."

Zoe snuggled closer to her aunt and they cuddled until they heard a knock on the door. Zoe jumped up to run to the door and bounced up and down until Ginny opened it. Both Lilly's and James came in and they made small talk for a few minutes. They didn't mention anything about the date and Ginny was grateful for that. She already felt nervous enough.

After they left Ginny returned to agonizing over what to wear.

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Harry was nervous. He really liked Ginny and couldn't wait to see her tonight. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to convince her that they would be able to date without it affecting the girls. He knew that if they were dating their lives with the girls would change but he was confidante that if they were to break up they would be able to maintain a level of normalcy so the girl's friendship wouldn't be broken. He ran a nervous hand through his wet hair as he stepped out of the shower.

One thing he was sure of. He couldn't wait to take Ginny out and he was determined to make sure that this date was not a one-time thing.

AN: This chapter is really short and I'm sorry for that. I'm working on the next one and wanted to give something until that one is done. Thanks for the reviews.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ginny looked over herself in the mirror. Her long red hair was in waves and fell past her shoulders. She had decided on a simple outfit. Jeans with a white form fitting shirt and a brown scarf. The brown boots she wore tied the outfit together. She smiled at herself and took a deep breath. Then she heard a knock at the door, she turned out the light in her bedroom and opened the door.

Harry stood there looking devastatingly handsome. His black hair was unruly as ever and looked as if he had been running his hands through it. He wore a pair of nice jeans and a red long sleeved shirt that was unbuttoned with a black shirt underneath. He smiled at her.

"Hey Gin, are you ready?" He asked. She looked amazing and Harry thought he'd never seen a more beautiful woman.

"Yeah, let's go."

They went to a quiet little burger place. The place was simple and Ginny was glad that Harry had taken her someplace like this. She hated when men took her to fancy restaurants on first dates, she felt those should be reserved for special occasions like anniversary's or celebrations. It was hard to really get to know someone in a place like that. In a place like this you could talk and joke loudly and no one would stare. You could wear clothes you were comfortable in and not some tight dress that made it hard to breathe. They sat down at a booth and a waitress soon came to take their order.

"So, how has Zoe been adjusting to the day care?"

"Really well, apparently she and Lilly have quite the circle of friends and the teachers are all so nice. I just feel like a basket case whenever I call to them to check in."

"Don't be, Lilly's been there for years now and I still check in." Harry laughed.

"It's good to know I'm not alone on this island. How have you been?"

"Pretty good. Work is going well I have a few students who think that being an aurror is like being a magical James Bond. Whenever I tell them that while they will be going on dangerous missions they will have more paperwork then dangerous missions and encounters with beautiful women I feel like I'm telling children that Santa isn't real."

"I can see how that would be a damper. Were you disappointed when you found out you wouldn't be blowing up buildings and having encounters with beautiful women?" Ginny laughed.

"Well the paperwork was a downer and I'm very happy to be having dinner with a beautiful woman now."

Ginny smiled she liked that Harry found her beautiful. "Well I'm glad I can help."

Harry liked that Ginny hadn't said she wasn't beautiful. He often encountered woman who would pretend to disagree only to have whoever gave the complement over and over again to stroke their own ego.

They fell into an easy banter and it dawned upon them both once again that it was so easy to be in each other's company. As the evening went on Ginny felt that she couldn't put off the inevitable any longer.

"Harry, this has been wonderful but I think we should talk about what this means; for the girls I mean."

Harry smiled at her, he admired her easy confidence and strength. He so admired how she loved Zoe. Harry would never be able to meet Ginny's sister and brother in law but he thought that when they decided to leave Zoe with Ginny they couldn't have made a better choice. The little girl was obviously the centre of Ginny's universe.

"Look, I'm not gonna lie to you Gin, I wanted to ask you out the moment I met you. I didn't because I shared your concern about what would happen with the girls if we were to get serious and broke up for whatever reason. But I was talking to my parents and they made me realize that there is nothing I wouldn't do for my daughter; no awkward situation that I wouldn't navigate through. If something were to happen between us and it became uncomfortable for the girls I wold figure out how to make it normal and to be friends with you. I love Lilly that much and I can see you love Zoe as much as I love Lilly. This in mind I don't really think there is anything to worry about. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out and the girls won't suffer."

Ginny thought about what he had said. She still had her concerns but Harry was right. She wouldn't jeopardize Zoe's happiness for anything. If anything happened between the two of them they'd figure it out.

"I think your right." She smiled at him. When he looked at her his breath caught he was certain that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He couldn't help himself, he leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back. It had been a while but they both were certain that it was the best kiss either of them had ever experienced. When they pulled away they felt as if something very wonderful was happening.

The night continued to go amazingly well. They laughed and talked and the two of them felt like they were really connecting. Ginny thought that Harry was amazing. He was kind, brave, intelligent, strong and what Ginny liked best of all was how dedicated he was to his daughter. Lilly was everything to Harry and it was clear he considered her the best thing that had ever happened to him. She liked hearing him talk about how she liked to do this or that. She thought that it was amazing that he was so dedicated to his daughter. She once again wanted to ask about Lilly's mother but she didn't want to upset him and ruin their evening so she decided not ask the question now. When they'd finished Ginny looked at him smiling and said.

"Come on there is something I want to show you."

"Ok."

She took him to a large field she it was deserted at this hour so she conjured a few heating lamps to keep them warm and a blanket to sit on. She then walked to a thick wooden fence. Harry followed her and watched with interest as she began knocking on different wooden panels.

"Luna and I used to come here when we were teenagers." She explained as she found the spot she was looking for, she reached into a hidden hole and pulled out a bottle of champagne. "I must admit that I was the wild child of the two of us." She grinned. "Champagne doesn't go bad does it?"

"I think that it's fine as long as it hasn't been opened." He smiled back at her and they walked back to the blanket and sat down.

"When did you find this place?" he asked.

"Summer of our fifth year. We would come here when something good happened in order to celebrate." She opened the bottle and took a swig then passed it to Harry who in turn did the same.

"That's nice, my friends and I had a spot like this in school. I'll take you there sometime."

"Are all your friends back in the states now?"

"Most but I have a few here, I don't get to see them as much as I'd like though."

"I know what you mean, being a parent takes up a lot of time."

"Yeah, I wouldn't change it for anything though." He smiled happily.

She couldn't resist any longer, she was dying to know where Lilly's mother was. "Harry, if you don't mind me asking, and feel free to tell me it's none of my business but where is Lilly's mother at? I've never heard any of you mention her."

Harry's smile faltered a bit. He'd expected Ginny to ask and he was able to tell she'd been curious for a while now but he liked that she was so respectful of his privacy. Even so he didn't mind telling her about Jackie. He took a deep breath, "I met Jackie when I was about 21. She was fun and exciting but honestly I didn't really see a future with her which we were both fine with. Then she got pregnant and I wanted to stand by her and I could never abandon my child so I resigned my position as an aurror and began teaching at the academy. We got married about six months before Lilly was born. Then Lilly was born and Jackie started to change, she seemed to resent Lilly needing so much all the time. I tried to help but she secluded herself. I came home one day when Lilly was two months old. A babysitter who I'd never met was there and she said Jackie went out for a while. I paid her and she left. I checked on Lilly who was asleep and went to my room. On the bed I found divorce papers and signed documents of Jackie giving up her rights to Lilly. She'd left a note saying that she was _sorry _but she simply wasn't cut out to be a wife or mother. We haven't seen her since."

Ginny was baffled. "So she just left? She doesn't write or check on Lilly in any way?"

Harry shook his head. "She doesn't call or write, no cards on Christmas or her birthday. It's like Lilly doesn't even exist to her."

"That's horrible! I can't believe she'd do that to you and Lilly!"

"Neither could I. But I'm actually kind of glad she did. It's hard Lilly not having a mother and I know I can't avoid telling her forever but I'd hate it if Jackie had stayed and grown to resent Lilly even more. No child should feel like they ruined their mother's life."

"But she didn't have to see it that way. Whatever she wanted to do she still could have done with you and Lilly supporting her."

"I don't know I think she just wasn't strong enough to be a mother."

"Oh god, Harry I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. It isn't your fault and besides Lilly has me and my parents. She'll be alright."

A silence fell between the two. "Gin, I'm going to ask you something personal now, and just like you told me I could tell you to butt out feel free to tell me the same." He smiled trying to lighten the mood that was already heavy and about to get heavier. "Do you mind if I ask, your sister and her husband how did they die?"

Ginny took another swig of champagne. "It was late January they were out on a date and were driving a car in a muggle town. There was black ice on the road and they didn't see it. The car spun out of control and they hit a tree. They died instantly, there was nothing anyone could do." She took another drink.

Harry looked at her for a long moment. It had always been clear that Ginny loved Zoe more than anything so he'd known she'd loved her sister too. But in that moment he understood exactly how much she loved Luna. It must have been devastating to loose someone that close to her.

"I'm sorry Ginny, I shouldn't have asked."

"Nonsense, I asked you something just as hard and what was it you said?" She smiled at him. "It's not your fault. So don't apologize."

The rest of the night was spent with less serious conversation. They talked about work, and the kids and life. They joked and teased each other and finished half the bottle before they kissed again. This time it was much more heated and with a loud POP! They were back at Ginny's house.

Harry's hands were everywhere leaving a trail of fire where they travelled. He pulled off her jacket and she pulled his off in turn. She kissed him again and led him upstairs to her bedroom. She pulled off his shirt and kissed down his neck and down his chest. His breath came faster. He pulled her up to kiss her again and started to pull off her shirt. He took a moment to look at her against the wall. God she was beautiful, full breasts and she was thin but still curvy, not a stick like some women were. He pushed her against the wall once again as he kissed her tenderly. Ginny pushed back off the wall and they stumbled onto the bed. They kicked off their shoes and as they kissed Harry rolled on top of her.

He kissed down her neck to the nook of her breasts. His hands found her jeans and he helped her out of them. He then kissed her stomach and rubbed her thighs. She moaned and flipped so she was once again straddling him. She unfastened his jeans and once they were off she felt the full force of his arousal. He smirked at her and pushed her onto her back. He wanted her so badly. She inspired feelings inside of him he'd never felt before. He unhooked her bra and kissed her breasts sucking and licking until he heard her moan and felt her shudder with pleasure.

She ripped off his boxers and felt the full force of his erection. She gripped him and heard him groan. He couldn't wait any longer. He ripped off her panties and plunged deep inside her. She screamed out his name, encouraging him to go faster and harder. She met every thrust and kissed him while she stroked his back and felt his muscles beneath her fingers.

They came together calling out each other's names and he collapsed on top of her with a kiss. He rolled next to her and pulled her into his arms. They smiled at each other and kissed again.

"God that was amazing." She grinned.

"I know what you mean. It's never been like that for me."

"Me either." She replied smiling. "But I have to admit it's been a while."

"Really, me too. How long?"

"Three years." She blushed. "You?"

"Two." He laughed.

"Ah! You win!" she giggled.

"You know what that means don't you?" He asked.

"And what's that?"

"We have to do it again. Immediately!" He chuckled rolling back on top of her. She squealed with delight and the night continued in a very favourable fashion.

AN: Well that's chapter 7 I hope you enjoy. I know where I want the story to go and I hope you'll like it. In the next few chapters we are going to find out more about Luna. Harry and Ginny become more serious and Ginny begins to wonder if the accident that killed Luna and Neville was truly an accident. There will be twists and turns but together they get the truth!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Red hair was sprawled across a grey pillow case. Harry grinned at the sight and pulled Ginny closer to him. He could get used to nights like this one. Four times. It was a personal record for him. He wondered if the same could be said for Ginny… he hoped so. Ginny settled securely against his chest and rolled so they were face to face.

"Hi." He whispered.

"Hi" She smiled back at him.

"So," he grinned cheekily at her kissing her hands "I must say _that _was amazing."

She smiled brilliantly at him. "Is it corny if I say that _that _was certainly the best I've experienced?"

Harry glowed with pride and kissed her passionately. Nothing she could have said could've made him happier. "No, in fact I'd have to agree with you."

They kissed again and they were both quite happy lying in each other's arms. Ginny glanced over Harry's shoulder at the clock. 2AM flashed in bright red letters. She placed a warm wet kiss to Harry's neck.

"I'm starving!" she mumbled against him. He burst out in laughter. "Me too!"

She laughed as well and slid to the edge of the bed and pulled on a long night shirt she had. Harry followed suit pulling on his boxers. He followed her downstairs to the kitchen. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out some leftover chocolate cake. She also grabbed a jug of milk and took two glasses and two forks. As she poured she felt Harry snake his arms around her waist. He places gentle kisses in the crook of her neck and over her shoulder. They made their way to the table and tucked into the late night snack. Harry brushed his knee against hers which caused her to smile at him. A general feeling of peace washed over them. He smiled at her and she did the same to him. She felt like a teenager flirting with some boy in between classes at Hogwarts. He inspired feelings within her that she'd never felt before. She could fall in love with him. She was fairly certain that she would.

Harry kept sneaking glances at Ginny. She was so beautiful he wanted to lock themselves away with the girls so he could spend the rest of his days looking at her. He thought briefly of the other women he'd dated in his life. None of them would tuck into chocolate cake in front of him. It made him like her more. She was so kind and honest. He loved spending time with her and was glad the night had gone so well.

They eventually made their way back up to bed and were fairly content laying in each other's arms. They talked about different things that didn't really matter and it felt nice not to worry about what was happening with the girls for a minute. He then asked her a question. He didn't expect the answer he got.

"Was it hard for you to stop your work as a consultant when you became Zoe's guardian?"

She shifted and turned towards him propping her head up on a hand. "Can you keep a secret?"

"I've been told so." He smiled at her. "Why?"

"I wasn't a consultant that's just what I tell people."

"What did you do then?"

"I was an unspeakable." The answer surprised him. But as he thought about it he knew that it shouldn't have. She walked in a very deliberate way quickly but people often didn't hear her approaching. He'd seen her gaze travel over the park at the playdates the girls went on. She was accessing the area, looking where someone could attack from. He did the same, it was taught to the new recruits and once you had the skill you did it without thinking. He couldn't understand why he hadn't put it together before. Even her job would have been difficult to get without certain connections.

He chuckled. "I'm surprised that I'm surprised."

She grinned at him. "Well to answer your question, no it wasn't hard. Yes, I loved my job; it was exciting and made me feel like I was really contributing to the world around me, but as much as I loved it…I love Zoe more. If I was traveling around the world all the time that wouldn't have be best for her and you make a lot of enemies in that line of work as I'm sure you know. So I left it behind and I'm really happy with my life."

He leaned in and kissed her again.

"Who would have thought we have so much in common?" He asked smiling.

"Well I did," Ginny teased. "You just weren't let in on the secret."

Harry grinned again and rolled on top of her. "Keeping secrets Ms Lovegood? That simply won't do." He said kissing her neck.

"Hmm. You may be right. What do you suggest?" She asked leaning up to meet his lips.

"Well keeping secrets is very serious." He said his hands traveling further down her body, "I'm going to have to do a very thorough inspection. Just to make sure you're not hiding anything else."

"Oh, I think that is a very good idea. Secrets can be so hard to keep. You will of course have to be extremely detailed in your inspection." She breathed.

"I think I can do that."

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"How do you think the date is going?" James asked Lilly.

"Oh I think those two have been trying not admit their feelings for weeks now and I think that now they are out it will be impossible to resist."

"Well he does have that Potter charm." James grinned his arms circling around his wives waist. "It worked on you."

"Oh yeah, you asked me out and four years later BAM! You had me!" Lilly teased.

"You wanted me way before that and you know it!" He laughed.

"I went out with you out of shear pity." Lilly retorted.

"Is that why you married me too?" He asked kissing her neck. "Pity?"

"Mmhmm." She murmured.

"Is that so?" he asked turning her so she faced him.

"Yes, all our marriage has been an act of kindness on my part."

"Well I'm sorry it's been such a hardship on you."

"It's my cross to bear." She said leaning in to kiss her husband.

"EWWW GROSS!" Lilly cried. Zoe was laughing. "Grandma, Grandpa what are you doing?!" she said arms crossed.

She looked so much like her father then. He'd done the same thing at her age when he saw them kiss.

"I was kissing your grandpa sweetheart. And when you're older you won't find it so gross."

"I don't think so. Kissing is icky." She replied. Zoe was still laughing.

"Zoe doesn't think it was gross." James said.

"It's funny!" The blond girl chirped.

"See. Lil, it's not gross!" Lilly laughed.

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Light crept into through the window. Harry opened his eyes slightly and shut them quickly after. He rubbed a hand through his hair and reached over to pull Ginny into him. He grasped blindly at the space next to him until he opened his eyes once more only to find that she wasn't there. For a moment he was afraid she had left, and decided last night was a bad idea. He quickly remembered that they were at her place and she couldn't have gone. He then smelled sausage and French toast in the air.

He grinned, pulled on his clothes from last night and went down to the kitchen. He smiled when he saw Ginny she was dressed in jeans and a simple coral top. Her hair was up in a messy bun and he was struck again by how breathtakingly beautiful she was. He crept behind her as quite as possible and just before he wrapped his arms around her she said…

"I heard you coming down the stairs."

He laughed. "I was so quite! How could you hear me?"

She switched off the burners and placed the food on two plates before turning to face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. She was grinning her eyes twinkling with mischief "Never try to sneak up on a spy, Harry." She whispered before she kissed him.

"I'll keep that in mind." He murmured pulling her into another loving kiss.

She pulled away much too soon for Harry's liking. He tried to steal another but she ducked under his arm and grabbed the plates from the counter to place them on the table.

"We can't get distracted." She said grinning at him. "I have to pick Zoe up in an hour. When are you getting Lilly?"

"I didn't set a for sure time with my parents. I could go with you and we could pick the girls up together." He suggested.

"I don't know if that's the best idea." She said. "I think that for now we need to keep the fact that we're dating a secret from the girls…and if we show up at the same time your parents will know we slept together last night."

"So?"

"I do _not_ want them to know that!" She giggled. "Who knows what they'd think."

"They wouldn't think anything. If anything they'd laugh about it."

"I just don't know that I'm comfortable with your parents knowing we're sleeping together. In fact I'm fairly certain that our sex life will be one of the things I never want to discuss with your parents." She laughed. "But I think it's fine if they know we're dating. But if the girls knew they might not be able to understand it. We'd be fielding a lot of questions."

Harry thought about it. She had a point. Once a woman had asked him out in front of Lilly (to her credit she hadn't seen Lilly standing behind him.) The whole way home Lilly had been asking if that woman was going to be her mommy. He definitely didn't want his daughter getting her hopes up that the four of them would be moving in together the next day and children didn't understand that that's not how dating or falling in love worked.

"You've got a point." He conceded. "In fact I think I might like this. Sneaking around, hiding things from the girls. It will feel like I'm a teenager again."

"Hmm, if we're teenagers are you the bad boy my father's forbidden me from seeing?" She smirked leaning into another kiss.

"Oh you definitely wouldn't have been allowed to see me. But I'm sure I could have convinced you to sneak out a time or two." He murmured before succumbing to the kiss.

They pulled away again. "This is going to be a lot of fun"

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Ginny was freshly showered and now walking up to the Potter's home. It was very nice and she noticed a plaque above the door that read "Godric's Hollow."

It wasn't uncommon for wizard's to name their homes. Molly and Author's home was called "The Burrow". She liked the name of this house. It was probably the Gryffindor that enjoyed the home being named after the founder of her school house. She knocked on the door and a man she'd never seen before with wavy brown hair answered.

"Hello, can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm Ginny. I'm here to pick up Zoe." A look of realization crossed the man's face. He grinned.

"Oh so you're Ginny!" He exclaimed. "Come in, come in. I'm Sirius Black. James's best friend and Harry's godfather. It's very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well." She smiled as she followed him inside. She could've sworn she heard him chuckle under his breath something along the lines of 'Potter's and redheads.' But she chose to ignore it.

"Oi Lil, Prongs! We've got company!"

A thought struck Ginny for a moment, Prongs. Where had she heard that before? She racked her brain trying to remember.

"Padfoot, what's all the yelling about?" James asked strolling into the living room. "Ginny!" he said. "Hi, how was your night?" he asked and Ginny definitely sensed a tone that a parent curious to know how their child's date went could muster. "

"It was great James, thank you for asking. How was Zoe? Not too much trouble I hope?"

"Not at all she's a great girl!" Ginny was glad to hear the girls weren't any trouble but she was still trying to place where she knew the name 'Prongs' from and she could also recall 'Padfoot' she racked her mind on where she could've heard it before.

Lilly came into the room. "Ginny!" she said. "Lovely to see you, how was your night?" She asked in the same tone James had before. She smiled back at the older redhead. "It was lovely, Lilly thank you for asking and thank you both for taking Zoe. I'm glad she wasn't too much trouble."

Lilly beamed. "She was no trouble at all! You both are welcome here any time. They both had a blast and Zoe is such a bright young thing!"

"Thank you, although sometimes that's what gets her into trouble." Ginny joked. "Where are the girls now?" she asked although she continued to search her memory on where she'd heard the names before.

"Just out back. Lilly wanted to show her the treehouse and it was too late last night by the time we got back. It gets dark so early this time of year."

"Oh I know. It's one of Zoe's biggest pet peeves."

"Is everything alright dear? You look a bit distracted."

"Oh yes, everything is fine. It's just I'm trying to recall where I've heard those nicknames Sirius and James called each other before. I feel as though I've heard them somewhere."

Sirius looked as if he was going to pass out from sheer delight. Lilly swore there was nothing her husband and his friend liked more than reliving their school glory days.

"My dear girl," Sirius started. "It seems that our reputation precedes us. May I assume that you attended Hogwarts?"

"Why, yes I did. I was in Gryffindor." If it was possible Sirius's grin spread even wider. "Well you probably heard our name from teachers and fans of course. You are standing in the presence of two Marauders!" he exclaimed.

It was as if a light bulb went off in Ginny's head. She snapped her fingers together as a look of realization passed over her face. "That's it!" She said. James was grinning like a schoolboy and Sirius looked like he'd died and gone to heaven. She looked at the men and asked "Are you the ones who invented the Marauders map then?"

James howled and Sirius was shocked to say the least. "How do you know about the map?" He demanded.

Ginny laughed at their reaction. "My second year." She said through her giggles. "Flitch had confiscated a parcel of mine that I had intended to give to my sister as a birthday gift. I snuck into his office and found this odd piece of paper in his desk. I wondered why Flitch would want to take a simple piece of parchment from a student so I decided to investigate. When I tried to get it to reveal itself, it had the gall to insult me!" She continued although she was still laughing somewhat. "Even so, it seemed odd that a simple piece of paper enchanted to insult someone would be confiscated let alone fold out so large so I took it with me back to my dorm. Once I got there I tried to think about what it would be for. I took a guess that it was a prank of some sort. By this time my sister had joined me. So jokingly we swore that we were up to no good. And it reviled itself to be a map of the school that had everyone's names and locations on it. We saw how it would always follow someone and I kept it for the rest of my stay at Hogwarts. It took nearly an hour to figure out how to close it again."

Lilly was lost in her laughter while Sirius and James looked proud of the young redhead. "Well that tears it!" Sirius said as he crossed the room in two swift strides and embraced her in a bone crushing hug. "My dear girl, you simply _have _to marry our dear Harry! You are a true Marauder and I'll not have you leaving our little family!" he declared.

"A bit early for that don't you think Uncle Sirius?" Harry asked shocking everyone. Ginny turned towards him and laughed.

"Harry dear, when did you arrive?" Lilly asked walking to her son and embracing him.

"Just after Sirius asked about the map." He replied. "I wanted to know as well so I hung back so I wouldn't interrupt the story." He looked at Ginny. "I can't believe you've had the map all this time. I've heard stories about it since I was a baby." He chuckled.

"Well not the whole time," She replied. "I didn't find it until my second year and before then it seems it was just sitting in Flitch's desk."

"Do you still have it?" James interjected.

"I believe so actually, I think it's somewhere in my attic. I'll dig it up and return it to you. That way Lilly can use it when she attends school."

"Brilliant!" Just as James said that the two girls came bustling inside. They looked at their parents and at the same time shouted.

"DADDY" yelled Lilly.

"AUNTIE!" yelled Zoe.

The two girls ran into the arms of their respective parents both of whom scooped them into massive hugs.

"Oh I missed you, pet!" Ginny said hugging Zoe tightly. "Did you have a good time?"

"Oh, yes! It was so much fun! James and Lilly tell lots of silly stories. And little Lilly and I played with tea sets!"

"That does sound exciting!" Ginny grinned.

"Oh! And daddy, Zoe has this really cool book FILLED with all sorts of jokes! She let me borrow it I'll show it to you at home it's so funny!" Lilly said with excitement that only a child could muster.

"Well that was very nice of her." Harry replied.

"Are you two staying for lunch? Oh and Ginny you and Zoe should as well!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Yea, mom of course." Harry replied.

"Thank you so much for the offer Lilly, but we can't today. We're going to see Zoe's Granny this afternoon." Ginny replied.

"Oh, your mother must be so pleased that you're coming by." Lilly replied.

Ginny had a great feeling of Deja vu. It was the Christmas tree lot all over again. When Zoe said. "Auntie Ginny's mommy and daddy are dead too, we are going to see my great granny. My daddy's Grandma!" Zoe said.

Lilly's face once again fell. She felt as if when it came to Ginny and Zoe she had a rather bad habit of sticking her foot in her mouth. "I'm so sorry, it seems I keep saying the most insensitive things!"

"Not at all Lilly, please don't feel bad! You had no way of knowing. If Lilly had said the same thing I'd have jumped to the same conclusion." Ginny said.

"Ok, well I am truly sorry." Lilly said.

"No please don't be it's not your fault." Ginny replied.

"Alright then." Lilly replied. "I hope you have a nice visit."

"Thanks," Ginny said. "And Lilly again, don't worry about it it's certainly not your fault." Ginny said.

"Well, I'll see you later then Gin." Harry said as his daughter hung playfully from his shoulders.

"Yeah, have a nice lunch you guys, and it was nice to see you Sirius." Ginny said. With that they left for the nursing home.

AN: OK a couple quick things. I just realized I made a mistake. In the first chapter I said that a drunk driver killed Neville and Luna. No, it was a patch of 'ice'. But that will be called into question soon enough. I hope you like this chapter. Read and Review and thanks to everyone who is following the story/has reviewed it makes my day! Hope you all had a merry Christmas and have a happy new year!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Ginny?"

"Ginny, look at me."

"GINNY!"

She woke with a start. The first thing she noticed was the temperature. She wasn't too hot, or too cold. She was absolutely perfect. She noticed she was in a field. She couldn't see anything other than the long grain that was sprouted up from the earth. It went as far as the eye could see.

"Ginny. Look at me." She turned and tears sprung to her eyes as she grabbed the other woman and embraced her.

"Luna." She whispered it so gently it was as if she was saying a prayer. "What's going on?" As soon as she asked the question a feeling of dread spread over her. "Oh, god. Am I dead?" She asked.

"No, look I don't have much time. It takes a lot to do this, I've been trying for a while."

"Do what? What's going on?"

"You're dreaming. I needed to tell you something. You need to remember this when you wake up. Gin, he's back."

"Who's back?" She couldn't understand what was going on and she could feel herself start to wake up. "Luna?"

"Like I said. I don't have much time. This is almost never done, I can send you feelings, memories but I'm not supposed to contact you. That's not how it works. I'm breaking rules."

"What rules? Lu, what's going on?"

She saw tears spring to her sister's eyes and the familiar need to protect her flashed across Ginny's body like an ocean wave hitting a rock.

"He's back Gin. He's coming for her…and you." Tears were streaming down her face again. "God, I should've let you kill him. You need to learn the truth. It's the only way to protect Zoe."

Ginny felt herself waking up. It felt as if she were in two worlds. She clung to her sister not wanting to let her go.

"You have to remember this Gin. You _have _to. For Zoe. He's back."

Ginny bolted up in bed. Sweat covered her body and her breath was laboured. Her heart rate was a million miles a minute.

Harry's arms were around her in an instant. "Gin? What's wrong, did you have a bad dream?" He asked kissing her shoulder gently. She felt bad for waking him.

"Something like that." She murmured.

"What was it about?" He asked. He continued to hold her securely.

"My sister." She said. A moment later she composed herself. "I'm sorry I woke you Harry, I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep. I'm gonna make some tea, you should get some rest." She kissed him as she got up and dressed in pyjama pants and s tank top.

He stared for a moment at where she had just been. She never got upset when she talked about her sister. She loved telling stories about what she was like and the things she used to do together. He decided to follow her.

"Gin, what's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing, it was just a weird dream." She said. It was about 5 in the morning and she knew the paper was probably here, she poured them each a cup of tea and went to retrieve it. Harry watched her, knowing something was wrong but not knowing exactly how to help her.

She walked back into the kitchen opening the paper as she did, it all happened very quickly then, she dropped the cup tea and glass shattering across the floor. "It wasn't a dream." She murmured he waved his wand to clean the mess and moved beside her.

The front page read.

CONTRAVERSAL CHOICE IN THE MISISTRY.

COLLIN CREEVY TO BE RELEASED.

He wondered who that was and why it would inspire such a reaction from Ginny.

"Gin, what's going on?"

"_Creevy! _She hissed the name.

"Who is that?" He asked.

She sat at the table and rubbed her hands over her face and hair.

"He was Luna's stalker." The revelation shocked him. "She'd never mentioned anything like this before.

"We met him our last year at school. He was in our year, he was in a different house though. We'd seen him around before but seventh year we shared a compartment on the train in. He was a muggle born boy, shy, quite, we talked with him but he became obsessed with Luna. He'd follow her around, send her notes, gifts, anything that would inspire a reaction from her. During school it wasn't too bad, Luna was never interested in him and told him so many time, as nicely as she could. After school she met Neville, they didn't hit it off right away, in fact I was with her when they first met. He was a jerk. A few weeks later we ran into Neville again and he apologized and they began to date. We hadn't seen Collin in a year, but all of a sudden he sent her a horrid letter, saying they were together and how dare she cheat. I told her then to let me intervene, I wanted her to go to her ministry and report it. She didn't and it escalated, she began seeing him everywhere and the letters kept coming. One night I'd just come back for assignment, and Neville had just gone away on business, at this point they were engaged. He broke into her house and she called for me using a necklace that had half a charm, I had the other half, I got there and she was so _beaten _and _bloody. _It broke my heart to see her like that. I managed to confine him and Harry I…I wanted too…" she looked at him and he saw the fear there. "I understand if after telling you this you may not want to see me again."

"Gin," he said gently reaching out to cover her hand with his own. "That will _never _happen."

"I wanted to kill him." The words were spoken in a way he knew them to be true. "I would have too if she hadn't stopped me. She insisted that if we called the aurror's and he would be put away. He was and that was the end of it. He was put under the truth potion and questioned. He confessed that if he couldn't have Luna then he would kill her so no one else could either. He was sentenced to life in Azkaban because of the threat he posed to Luna. But _apparently _now that she's dead the ministry decided that he is no longer a threat but… he'll come. He'll come for Zoe. He'll see her as his last hope at getting Luna. The last living part of her. _God _I should have killed him."

"Ginny it'll be alright, we won't let him get to her. I promise." He had a blazing look in his eyes and kissed her. She felt safe with him. The sun was beginning to rise. It was now early August and they'd been going strong since that first date in December.

She looked at him and couldn't help but to say it. She hadn't before but needed too now. "I love you."

He smiled at her and caressed her cheek. "I love you too Gin. And I promise nothing will happen to Zoe. You won't lose her."

"I can't lose her, not Zoe."

"You won't Gin, I'm here."

She nodded and he took her back up to bed. Every once in a while she checked on the girls. They did this often, told the girls they could have a sleepover and pretend the other parent just showed up early the next day. So far they hadn't caught on.

As she lied in bed on the Friday morning in August he held her and every so often whispered that he loved her and it would be ok. She prayed that was true.

AN: And that's chapter 9. I know it feels fast which is why I fast forwarded to August to put some time into their relationship. Collin will appear and who knows what we'll find but that will be a major theme in the story which is why I needed to hurry to the "I love you." Together Harry and Ginny will battle Collin to try and protect Zoe. Feel free to leave ideas or constructive criticism it is always extremely welcome. R&R Thanks for reading! New Year today! Yay!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: HEY GUYS SO HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER. UPDATES ARE GOINT TO BE A BIT SLOWER AFTER THIS WINTER TERM STARTS TOMORROW AND I ALSO WORK FULL TIME SO MY FREE TIME WILL BE SCARCE. R&R THANKS FOR READING.

CHAPTER 10.

Ginny never thought she'd be here again. At least not in this capacity. She walked into the beige building and the woman at the reception desk was smiling slightly to herself arranging some floral arrangement.

"Katie," Ginny said. "I need to talk to him."

The woman, Katie Bell looked up. "Ginny! Hi how are you?" They'd attended school together and worked for the ministry. Katie was a reception at the Unspeakable offices while Ginny had been an agent.

"Collin Creevey has been released from Azkaban, how do you think I am?"

"Yes, I heard. I'm so sorry Ginny."

"I need to see Mark."

"He's unavailable at the moment, I'll take a message I'm sure he'll contact you as soon as he is able."

"Katie, I wasn't asking." Ginny brushed past the desk and ignored Katie's protest. She burst into Marks office and he was sitting at his desk. _Unavailable indeed. _Ginny thought.

"What the hell were you thinking releasing Creevey?"

"Hello Gin. How are you?"

"Sick and tired if people asking me that. Why the hell is Creevey released?"

"It wasn't my decision."

"You could've stopped it. You have strings and let's not pretend you dislike pulling them."

"It's not that simple Ginny, he is no longer a threat since your sister is no longer living."

"He will find out about Zoe and he will come after her."

"That's unlikely."

"Look Mark, you know me. I worked for you for years. You know how dedicated I am. Clearly you're not going to help me. But I want you to know, if Creevey comes after Zoe, I will hold you personally accountable for that. You know how, _unpleasant _I can be about things like this."

"Is that a threat Gin?"

"It's a statement of fact. Take it however you like."

She was gone as quickly as she came.

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Harry was waiting when Ginny came back. He'd wanted to go with her but she said she needed to go alone.

"What did they say?"

"They're going to release him. I can't stop it."

"That's insane."

"I know. Harry I need a favour."

"Anything, Gin."

"Do you have any contacts at Azkaban?"

"Yeah actually. Why?"

"In my dream. Luna said that 'it was him'. I have a suspicion I need to confirm something first. I heard a rumour a few years back. I never gave it much credit but now I think that was a mistake. I heard that a few inmates were sneaking out of Azkaban, planning to escape testing routes, I thought that if they got out once they'd just run and never look back. But I'm wondering _if _Collin was one of those inmates, if it was true. He could've convinced them that it's in their best interest to go back. That way they could make a solid plan on how not to get caught once they made their final escape. What if he set up the accident to kill Luna and Neville, and then the hole in security was contained before he could get to Zoe."

"Why would he kill Luna? Wouldn't he want to capture her?"

"No he wanted Luna's love. Neville had that and Collin hated them both for it. He confessed under the truth serum that if he couldn't have her no one could. I think killing her is exactly what he would have done."

"How are you going to find out if the accident was staged?"

"I still have the car they were driving. No one really looked closely so no questions were raised because it was so icy out that night. I'm going to check it out. While I do that I want you to find out if the rumour was true and if Collin was one of the escaped inmates."

"Alright Gin. I'll look into it."

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Zoe and Lilly were having a fun day with Ron and Hermione. She had a lot of books with wonderful stories and he played lots of silly games and would take them to fly. They wondered why their parents had left them with the other two as on Fridays they would normally take a trip to the zoo or something like that but they were having too much fun to give it any serious thought.

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When Ginny returned she had a tired look on her face. She waited in the kitchen for Harry sipping a cut of English tea. He appeared after what felt like forever.

"What did you find out?" He asked her.

"The brakes on the car had been cut."

He looked as if he wanted to stop time so he could avoid telling Ginny the heart breaking truth. She knew the answer to her question by the look on his face.

"He was one of the inmate's who'd gotten out." Harry nodded. Ginny felt as if she'd aged a hundred years.

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Collin sipped his beer as he lay in the room at the leaky cauldron. He'd never been happy about the way things had ended with Luna, but she'd had to die. She couldn't see that they were made for each other. She couldn't see that she belonged to him. Zoe however would be raised with that knowledge.

He wouldn't touch her before she reached adulthood of course he wasn't a monster. But she would be his. He dreamed of her face, he wondered if she had her mother's eyes. He looked over that the photo of the little girl he'd managed to take before anyone had seen him. She'd been with her aunt.

Collin hated Ginny. She took him away from Luna if not for her he'd have been able to make her see. The bitch would have to die.

That way he and Zoe could live.


	11. Chapter 11

AN:I'VE BEEN LOOKING OVER MY MATERIAL AND I FEEL AS IF I HAVEN'T BEEN DETAILED ENOUGH. I'M GOING TO TRY TO FIX THAT. IF YOU NOTICE ANYTHING OR WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT A SITUATION LEAVE A COMMENT AND I WILL TRY TO ADRESS IT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANKS FOR READING! R&R

Chapter 11

Harry found Ginny rummaging through her attic. She was shuffling through boxes the last time she'd been here was when she was digging out the map to return to his father. She apparently didn't find what she was looking for in the box she was currently searching because she shoved it to the side violently and began franticly looking in another one.

"Gin, what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for a necklace, half of a…OH! Here it is!"

She pulled out a necklace it was a locket. She placed it in her pocket and began descending the stairs that lead to the main level of the house. She wondered into the kitchen and sat down at the table. The look she gave him made him sure that he wasn't going to like what she was going to say.

"I think you should take Lilly away for a while, somewhere out of country."

"What!?" He was appalled how could she think he'd leave her now?

"Harry listen, I made a dreadful mistake and it would seem a fatal one. I should have killed that bastard when I had the chance all those years ago, if I had Luna would still be alive. If I had Zoe wouldn't be in danger now. I won't allow my mistake to hurt anyone else. Collin will see you and Lilly as a way to get to me. He knows that he will have to kill me to get Zoe, he knows I'll protect her until my last breath. I don't intend to let it get that far but he will target you and Lilly to hurt me. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to any of you."

He understood what she was saying. If their positions were reversed he would tell her to do the same. It didn't change the facts though. He loved her, he loved Zoe. He wasn't leaving.

"No." he said as he crossed to the fridge and pulled out a butter beer, he got also handed one to her.

"Harry," she started. "It won't be forever, I'm hoping to resolve the matter quickly."

"I understand Gin, but I'm not leaving you or Zoe."

"Harry, _I'm _sending Zoe away." That surprised him but it shouldn't have.

"Where?"

"It'll be safer I if I don't know but I've already spoken to Ron and Mionie about it they are both taking a leave of absence from work and taking Zoe with somewhere safe."

"I'll send Lilly away but I'm staying with you. I'm going to help you prove what Collin did. I'm going to help you stop him and if necessary I _will _help you kill him."

She looked at him and was once again struck by how much she loved him. She'd known for months but hadn't wanted to say so because she felt it was all moving so quickly. She'd never been one to leap without looking, she'd evaluate the relationship before giving all her heart. It was quite a distinction between her personal and professional life. While on a mission she'd dive head first into danger, she had always been prepared and ready for any turn something might take but she wouldn't falter because the situation was dangerous. With her heart she was much more cautious. What surprised her most of all was how comfortable she was trusting Harry with her heart and especially with Zoe.

"Harry, I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I don't want you a part of this."

"Gin, I'm a part of this. End of discussion."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"Auntie, why aren't you coming with me?" Zoe asked doe eyed. It broke Ginny's heart.

"I want to pet, I truly do." Ginny said holding the girl close. "You need to go with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione for a while. I'll collect you and we will spend some much needed quality time together."

"I don't want to go." Her voice was small. Lilly, James, and Harry were all there as well. Lilly (jr) had gone to stay with Remus and Tonks for a while. They were currently on holiday somewhere far away.

"I have something for you." She put the necklace around Zoe's neck, the little girl held the locket part in her hands. Ginny wore a matching one. "Your mommy and I bought these after Hogwarts, no matter how far apart we were if one of us needed the other the locket would glow and transport us to each other." Ginny took a breath. "I had intended to give it to you when you left for Hogwarts as that would be our first time being separated for a long time but it seems we had use for it earlier then intended."

"So if I need you, this will take you too me?"

"Yes, pet." She embraced the girl again and kissed her hair. "Now, I need you to be good and I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?" Zoe nodded with tears in her eyes. "Good, I love you Zoe" Tears formed in Ginny's eyes as well she looked up at Ron and Hermione "Well you'd better be going, I bet you're going somewhere wonderful and you'll have lots of fun with your Aunt and Uncle."

Harry placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder as they watched Zoe go. She placed her hand over his as well and closed her eyes for a moment as if she were intending to capture Zoe's face in her memory.

No words were exchanged between the Potters and Ginny. No words of comfort or encouragement. It was as if every one of them knew there was nothing that could be said to help the pain that she was feeling. The threat was real, and no one knew how this would play out. One thing was clear though, Ginny would kill Collin or die trying.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Collin breathed in the murky air of his surroundings. He felt completely comfortable in the dark ally. The hookers glanced at him but made no crude offers, he wasn't offended. He'd visited places like this often and while he saw how they would proposition other men they felt skittish of him. He looked until he found the one that had the same colour eyes as Luna. The wig was in his backpack and he intended to release some of the agitation he felt.

The bitch had sent his Zoe away. He'd find her but apparently it would take more time then he'd hoped.

No matter, the end result would be the same. Zoe would be his.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Ginny loved Harry. She also loved the rest of the Potters and Sirius it was rare that people she hadn't known a few years ago would drop everything and help her do something so dangerous to save someone so precious.

They all shuffled around the room sorting through files. She'd told them the name she needed.

"Ginny?" James asked. "How do you have so many criminal informants?"

"I was willing to throw out cases to protect them."

"Doesn't that defeat the point?" Sirius asked.

"Not really, it was never my first choice, I'd only do it if the case was low risk for example if I were after some low level drug dealer and got the name from a CI and their identity was revealed then it causes more harm than good. I'd get the low level drug dealer but my CI could end up hurt, killed or scared into silence and whoever was giving that drug dealer his orders would just replace the low level offender. If it was a larger case I'd make sure I got permits to obliviate anyone who was interviewed about the case to protect the informant. Word got around that that's how I worked and people grew to trust me and if you have that." She found the file and pulled it out. "They are always there when you need them no matter how long it's been."

They gathered around a small desk as she opened the file and pulled out a burner cell phone.

"Fiona, hey it's Ginny. I need to talk to you"

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They met at a small diner. The woman who walked in was a far cry from the woman Ginny had known. She was aware when she left the agency that Fiona had intended to clean up her life and Ginny was not only happy but also proud that she'd done just that.

"Ginny," Fiona smiled as she sat down. "I was surprised to hear from you. What's going on?"

"Hi Fi, I don't have a lot of time to waste so I'm just going to jump right in. I need you to get word to a few of your former contacts that I'm looking for a man named Collin Creevey. If anyone can tell me where to find him I'll pay handsomely."

Fiona looked nervous. "Look, Ginny you know I'd love to help you but I've turned around. I'm not in that life anymore."

Ginny smiled. "I can tell and I'm really happy for you. I'd never ask you to do anything to risk pulling you backwards but I know you and I'm willing to bet you help other girls get out. I'm sure you remember how hard that can be. All I'm asking you to do is make a phone call and give them a name. Nothing else. I swear." Ginny paused a moment, Harry and Lilly had come with her while James and Sirius had gone to the ministry to conform some things. The air was tense and charged, Ginny's voice wavered slightly when she continued to speak. It was the first time Fiona had heard Ginny with anything but strength in her voice. "The man I'm looking for stalked and killed my sister and now he is coming after my niece, whom my sister left in my care."

Fiona looked at Ginny. "Ok, I'll make the call."

"Thank you."

With that Fiona got up to leave and while she felt that Collin deserved everything Ginny was going to give to him she felt a bit of pity for the bastard. Fear isn't weakness when heard in a woman's voice. When a woman is afraid especially for a child, fear should inspire nothing but terror in that woman's opponent. And Ginny wasn't just out to protect Zoe which inspired the fear. This man had killed her sister. Ginny was out for revenge for her sister's death. Revenge was something else no man could do quite like a woman. Fiona was certain that only God himself could save Collin from Ginny and she doubted God would waste his time.

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Harry, Lilly and Ginny walked into her home. Everything was silent and still. Ginny had put up some of the strongest barriers Lilly had ever seen to ward against Collin and the three of them were sure they were safe.

Harry went upstairs to change. Leaving Lilly and Ginny alone in the living room.

"I haven't had a chance to properly thank you." Ginny said as she lit a fire. Lilly looked at her. "For what you're doing. You're risking a lot to help me and I want you to know that I know that and that I'm thankful."

Lilly greatly liked and admired Ginny. She hadn't said it to her son because she refused to be one of _those _mothers but she would like nothing more than to call Ginny her daughter-in-law one day.

"Ginny, let me assure you there is nowhere else any of us would rather be. First of all we all love Zoe and consider her family. If you mess with one member of my family you mess with all of us and that is not something anyone should ever do. And second of all my so is in love with you; so even if Zoe wasn't a factor we'd all still help you."

Ginny smiled and blushed slightly. "Thank you." She said again.

"I know you've heard about _Jackie" _she said the name with the distain that anyone would expect. "I never liked her, and when I found out she was pregnant I didn't want Harry to marry her. I knew it would be a mistake. I wanted him to be a father to his child but not to marry that woman. She proved every low opinion I had of her true when she left that beautiful little girl. I think _you _my dear are a much better match for my son. And I swear to you we will stop this _Collin _character and protect your beautiful niece." Lilly was now holding Ginny's hand, stroking it lightly. They pulled away when they heard Harry coming down the stairs and a moment later James and Sirius were coming through the front door. Ginny looked at them without saying anything. Everyone in the room held the same question. Sirius spoke first. "We've spoken to the minister, if you can prove that Collin escaped Azkaban, killed your sister and brother in law and is actively planning to kidnap Zoe then he will be completely within his rights to order the dementors kiss. He would of course want to skip a trial as he wants to keep the Azkaban break outs quite. Which means we need to apprehend Collin, take him to the minister of magic and question him under the truth serum. Once that is done a dementor will be called and Collin will be given the kiss of death the same night."

Ginny sighed. "Good, then we only have to capture Collin. The rest will sort itself out in the minister's office."

AN: In interest of complete disclosure I have to let everyone know the Criminal Informant conversation I took bits and pieces from episode 2 of Chicago PD. No copyright infringement intended. Hope you enjoyed Read&Review. Thanks All!


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